6 Steps to Better Business Meetings

Are your business meetings productive or a big waste of time and energy? Transform your approach to meetings with these six simple steps and start enjoying shorter, more productive staff and client meetings.

1. Set an agenda

Too many people dread attending team meetings. Why? It’s simple. Far too many business meetings are called without a set purpose. The result is often unmotivated attendees and a lack of direction.

In order for a meeting to be productive, an agenda is a must. The main objectives of your meeting need to be set in stone before anyone sets foot in the meeting room. Many meetings suffer as a result of poor planning and even ‘meeting for meeting’s sake’. Is your meeting even necessary at all? What do you hope to accomplish from the meeting? Before you call a meeting, be sure that you need to!

2. Share the agenda

24 to 48 hours before the meeting is due to take place, share a copy of the agenda with those who will be in attendance. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page, so to speak.

3. Time it

People often make the mistake of allocating huge chunks of time for meetings. In order for meetings to be productive it’s best to keep them shorter. Having a set time allocated for discussion will help people to stay on topic and ensure maximum productivity.

4. Build a to-do list

At the end of each meeting, you’ll probably have a long to-do list of tasks and responsibilities. Before everyone gets up and leaves, be sure to assign these tasks and set realistic deadlines.

5. Take notes

During each meeting, a member of the team should be assigned the responsibility of recording the minutes. These notes should then always be typed up and sent out to everyone who was in attendance. As well as serving as a handy reminder of the issues raised during the meeting, the minutes will also act as a useful reference point months, or even years, down the line.

6. Relax

Are you running a business meeting soon? One of the most important things to remember is to relax. As long as your agenda is in place, your meeting room is booked and your attendees have confirmed, you’re all set for success. Why not kick-start the meeting with an ice-breaker to lighten the mood?

Do you run your own business? Don’t let back-to-back business meetings prevent you from answering important calls from clients. At ava, our virtual assistant services can take care of your calls when you’re away from your office, ensuring you never miss an important call again. When you join ava, you are also eligible for fantastic discounts when hiring state-of-the art conference and meeting room facilities at superb venues across the North West. Speak to one of our advisors today to arrange a tailored quote.